Steering-gear.



F. B. ALLDREDGE.

STEERING GEAR. APPLICATIN HLED IULY 3l |918.

1,296, 51.27' Pathted Mar.4,1919.

` WY z2 l n ma* 2 n zy rmcrsinnmnnnnen or imsiaeromns, 'Iowa Tov all inkom 'it/may concern Be `it known that' I, FRANCIs B. ALL- mennen, acirtizen of the United States, and

'aresident of Des Moines, 4inthe county ofk My invention relates to steering gears of the-type used on Iautomobiles andthe like. 1,01'-

;The-objeet of `my invention is to provide V a steering gear of very simple and mex- 4 j pensive construction, and particularly ywhen rin use there will be a minimum* loss of*vv motion.

[invention consists 1n the construction, ar-

With this and other objectsin view my rangement and combination of 'the Vvarious l parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, Aashereinafter more fully'set forth, pointed out in my claim. and illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

' in which:

.Figure 1 shows a top or plan view of the steering gear Yembodying my invention, laid f on its side, the casing being shown in cross section.

Fig. 2 shows a vertical, sectional view taken on the' line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

l Fig..3 shows a side elevation of the device; and

Fig.' 4 shows a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

ln the accompanying drawings I have used thev reference numeral 10 to indicate generally the casing for my improvedzsteering gear, 'which has lthe removable cover` plate 11 provided witha, dome or outwardly extendedy portion "12 and secured to the body of the casing bymeans of screw-'bolts 13.

The dome portion of the cover plate has. an elongated slot 15. through which the steering arm 27, hereinafter mentioned, extends. At one end of the casing 10`there is formed a bearing 16 in which is mounted a smooth portion of a shaft 17. Screwed .into the other end of the casing isa hollow plug 18,

which may be held in positionby means of a set-screw 1.9 and which forms a bearing for the opposite end of the shaft 17. The portion o f the shaft 17 within the casing is screw-threaded as at 2O.v

Mounted on rthe screw-threaded portion 2O of the shaft 17 is a nut 21, split longi tudinally in its lower portion and having laterally extending flanges 22, which are t Y specifies-tin of Letters raient. j v -Appnctmnmed my 31,1918. serial ramasse.

Patented Mar. 4, 1919.

adjustably connected by means of'bolts 23 and nuts 24.

`0n its side opposite the flanges 22 the nut 21 has Ya laterally extending portion in Which-is formed a recess 25. A pin 26 is mountedA in said extension and extends across said recess 25. I

A steering arm 27 is extended through the 15 and is rotatably mounted on a shaft 285`mounted in the side walls of the cover plate 12. i

The' steermg rod has formed at its inner end ay bearing 29 which is split from the shaft28 toward the shaft 17, as illustrated at Fig. 1. N

At its inner end the bearing 29-h1as a groove'30, shown by dotted lines in Fig. '1, in which is received the pin 26.

The parts of the bearing 29 on opposite sides ofathe slit 31, already mentioned, are

adjustably held together by means of a bolt 32 and 'anut 33.

In the practical useA of my improved steering gear, the shaft 18 is rotated formoving the nut longitudinally thereon. The movement of the nuit 21 carries the pin 26 there- 'with and thereby rotates the bearing 29 on the shaft 28 and imp-arts swinging movevment tothe outer endv of the steering arm 27 for'operating the additional steering mechanism of the Iautomobile or the like. It will be understood that the groove' 30 p is` deep enough-to permit the proper play of the -pin 26 in said groove in the direction rof depth and yet allow no substantial play inthe groove from side to side thereof.

Another of the important features and advantages of my improved steering gear arises from the fact that there is imparted from 'the shaft 17 to the steering arm 27 positive movement with practically no lost motion or free play between any of the parte In the original installation of the steerf` ing gear a slight space is left between the.

flanges 22, and a slight space is left between the parts of the bearing 29 on opposite sides of the slit 31 therein.

These features of construction make it possible to tighten the nut 21 on the screwthreaded portion 20 of the shaft 17 in case there should come to be play of the nut on the shaft after considerable wear; and also allows the tightening of the healing 29 with relation to the pin 26 in case there should come to be play after the device has been in use for some time.

Thus I am enabled to avoid play in the parts, and to thereby insure the positive transmission of motion without lost motion for -a very long period of use.

It will, of course, be understood that the 'device may be mounted on the frame of the automobile 1n any sultable way by flanges y formed on the casing 10 or otherwise as maybe desired.v

Such methods or means of attachment in themselves form no part of my present invention.

It 'may also be mentioned that the arm 29 may be bent or curved, orlengthened or shortene'di to make the device fit motor vehicles of different kinds.

It thus appears that my steering gear has a wide range of adaptability. p

It will, of course, be understood that the shaft 17 may be connected with the steering wheel of ,fthe automobilel in any suitable manner.

It is my purpose to cover by this application and the claim of the patent to be issued thereon, any changes or modified forms of structure which may be reasonably included within the scope of my invention.

lI claim:

In a device of the class described, a cas-l ing, a shaft mounted therein having a screwthreaded portion, a split nut on said shaft, means for adjustably tightening said nut, a second shaft, a bearing mounted thereon, a steering farm on said bearing, said nut having -an extension provided with a recess, a pin extended across said recess, said bearing having a groove receiving said pin, said bearing being split from said shaiit to said groove, and means for adjustably tightening the split portion of the bearing.

Des Moines, Iowa, July 18, 1918.

FRANCIS B. ALLDREDGE. 

